Swamp Talk: iPhone 5S, 5C more “fragile”; What’s a college student to do?

If any of you are like me, Friday marked the one of the best days of your entire life (second to the day the iPhone 5 came out). In a divine order of the gods, my paycheck came through Friday morning – the exact day that pre-orders began for the iPhone 5S, the newest in Apple’s iPhone line, which has received solid reviews as a whole.

For a college student, durability is always a concern when it comes to cellphones. We’re one of the most phone-unfriendly groups of people in the world. We treat our phones like we’re drunken bear cubs – dropping it from large heights, plopping it in toilets accidentally and managing to get them stolen on game days. We aren’t careless, however. Trust me, any college student values any ounce of money more than his or her own soul, it’s just that unforeseen circumstances often lead to phone loss-age, breakage and general not-being-able-to-usage.

A report from The Huffington Post said, compared to last year’s model, the new iPhones could break more easily. SquareTrade, according to the Post, tested the new iPhone against “drops, dunks and other common hazards,” finding that the new models aren’t as durable.

So we have four options here:

Get the OtterBox of all OtterBoxes

Get iPhone insurance

YOLO! (get the phone and don’t do anything)

Just don’t get the phone

An Apple technician has before told me that despite Apple’s insane attempts at making the phone more durable, including claims of “helicopter-grade glass,” someone somewhere will still break them.

I’ve been lucky enough to only break/lose one iPhone. My iPhone 5, may it rest in peace, was stolen on a trip to Las Vegas over the summer. I am now rocking the iPhone 3G.

But with this more “fragile” iPhone, college students, myself included, are going to have to become more diligent with their phones. Keep that new 5S far, far away from toilets in any way, shape or form. Keep it away from any bodies of water; even puddles. I know people who have lost phones to puddles, lakes, oceans and rivers. Keep it away from tall surfaces and hard surfaces that it can fall on, like tile or just any general flooring.

Even though clumsiness is a problem for most college students, us Millennials have always had an undying need to be better than our best friend, neighbor and/or siblings when it comes to having the latest technology. People will still buy it. The lesson here is just to prepare and get ready for more of those “lost phone, need numbers” Facebook groups. Enjoy!